Devin Haney’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, feels that he never fully recovered after being badly hurt in the seventh round by Ryan Garcia last Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Haney “Never Recovered” After Seventh Round
Hearn said that he wished Ryan had weighed in on the morning of the fight, but it’s unclear why. The only way they would have done that was if there had been a rehydration clause, and it would have affected Haney just as much, if not more because he looked as big as a house inside the ring.
Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) looked tired after the brutal seventh. Ryan knocked him down four times in the round, and the referee, Harvey Dock, gave him a huge break by only counting one of the knockdowns.
Dock also took a point away from Ryan for hitting on the break in the round but didn’t warn him. Some fans thought the referee’s actions in the round saved Haney from being knocked out. Even with the blown calls and the bizarre quick point deduction, Haney was getting pummeled in rounds eight through twelve.
“I would have liked to have seen Ryan weigh-in this morning. He didn’t make championship weight, but he produced a great performance,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to the media, reacting to Ryan Garcia defeating his fighter, Devin Haney last Saturday night.
It wouldn’t have helped Haney one bit if Ryan had weighed in on Saturday morning. Haney couldn’t deal with Ryan’s hand speed or power, and he was getting nailed by short shots during his numerous clinches.
Haney felt he had to hold to survive, but he gave Ryan opportunities to land his power shots when he was doing that.
Garcia’s Power and Unorthodoxy
“Just his power. I was looking at him in between rounds. He wasn’t really looking at [his trainer] Derrick James. He was dancing around, and he was singing. Maybe this is the future,” said Hearn when asked what impressed him about Garcia.
Ryan was loose and confident in between rounds, knowing that he had nothing to fear from Haney, who looked like he wasn’t fully there after being shook in the first round from a big left hook.
“It was a huge knockdown, and he was badly hurt after the [seventh] round, and he never really recovered,” said Hearn when asked if Haney seemed tired after getting knocked down in the seventh.
